Deep down

Lucania left us quietly at 7am after another stormy night. Andy and I watched her make headway downriver en route to Beaucaire where she was due to collect a cargo of grain for delivery to Paris. These boats make epic journeys all year round, seven days a week, plying the waterways at a sedate pace.

Although it is Sunday there are plenty more commercial boats on the river and we wait until a lull before we leave the safety of our mooring and venture out into the white horses.

The clear blue skies and bright sunshine cannot defeat the chill of the Mistral and I wonder, as I stand on the bow and cast off, if I am shivering from cold or fear.

Bollene Lock lies ahead – the deepest lock in Europe. Terry Darlington author of the infamous travelogue“Narrow Dog to Carcassonne” describes the experience eloquently :

“the water began to move down the walls. Down and down we went, bollards groaning, alone, into a void six hundred feet long and thirty-six feet wide and seventy-five feet deep : Gloucester Cathedral, with green and black and yellow walls, mud and weed, armoured gates, water falling down. Two hundred million gallons. It took only ten minutes.”

It was a Sunday and the saints of the Donzere Gorge had allowed Lobelia with her two altar boys to process through this Cathedral. All was well. The lock gates opened and released us into a world where the Mistral was but a whisper.

But this whisper soon returned to a roar and we are moored in a beautiful spot at Roquemaure, surrounded by ruined castles and world-famous vineyards which produce the delicious Cotes du Rhone and Chateauneuf du Pape, yet buffeted and plagued by the dreaded Mistral which shakes you to your core.

Room for one more?

The Mistral is still blasting us and the poor tomato plants on deck look brown and withered. Decided to take the day off and walk into Donzere where we discovered a pretty medieval town of cobbled streets, crumbling ramparts and narrow alleys. Stocked up on fresh fruit at the market and then retreated, exhausted from the incessant buffeting from Le Mistral, back to Lobelia.

Later that night we were aware of a barge pulling alongside us.  “Lucania” a commercial boat from Belgium needed somewhere to moor for the night and like us they were struggling to find any suitable moorings. Quays in the towns have been monopolised by the enormous cruise ships or just left to decay. The couple were very pleasant and chatted to us for a while and even took a quick tour of Lobelia.

Mistral Madness

The wind had picked up overnight and we set off from Le Pouzin with a light chop on the water. Motored down through the delightful Donzere Gorge with its ruin-strewn cliffs 330 feet high looming above. 

Statues of saints peer down on passing vessels, arms outspread as if welcoming them into this beautiful stretch of river. But the wind, the infamous Mistral, is upon us and perhaps the saints are there to remind us to pray for deliverance.

The Mistral is a wind with mythical qualities and can blow strong and hard for several days at a time and cause a kind of madness as the sound of it takes over your mind.

“Behind the Mistral is the beauty of Provence. Its fierceness blows away clouds and grime and doubt, leaving colors the depth of dreams and a freshness that can come only after the Mistral's scouring. Provence needs the Mistral or it ceases to be the Provence of my dreams. I need the Mistral to cut through those dreams to truth - beauty comes after the wind.” Kamiah A. Walker

Moored in a lonely spot downstream of an enormous barrage near the town of Donzere. Tied down everything on deck and fastened the portholes in time to watch them get washed by waves and wash from passing ships. This mighty Rhone is proving to be every bit as rough as the English Channel.

C'est magnifique!

Left Tournon and continued to Le Pouzin where we moored in a peaceful spot with stunning far-reaching views of the river, tree-covered hills and rocky gorges which shimmered in silver, pink and gold as the sun set.

So far Andy has been very complimentary about my ability to chat in french.  A gentleman walking along the riverside spoke to us. I answered politely and explained that the view was “magnifique.” The gentleman nodded and walked on. Andy asked me what he had said and I had to admit that I had no idea! Andy’s faith in my french is now shattered and he takes great pleasure in answering any of my queries with a remark about the view.

Lobelia the Red Arrow

Great excitement on our morning walk along the river bank as the boys spotted a family of ragondin swimming amongst the ducks and then two kingfishers honoured us with a highspeed flypast at low level.

This prompted a conversation about the potentials of synchronised barge dancing and Andy was a little affronted when I suggested Lobelia would be an ideal candidate for producing the coloured smoke effects in a Red Arrows styled barge dance.

After two deep locks we moored up below an impressive castle at the pretty medieval town of Tournon.   Above us vineyards clung onto the steep hillsides, the names of the wine producers written proudly on numerous rocky walls. Names which conjured up memories of bottles past and inspired us to seek out a spot of refreshment and watch the locals at play. 

A pretty footbridge by our mooring linked Tournon with Tain L'Hermitage and we enjoyed a summer evening’s stroll and watched as a variety of ships swept by Lobelia.

The Romans are coming!

After a disturbed night on the mooring thanks to speeding commercial traffic, a survey ship moored up alongside us and high winds (not the beans), we decided to take the morning off and visit the exceptional Roman museum at St Romaine en Gal. After all, we had free parking right outside on the banks of the Rhone!

The museum is set around the extensive ruins of a large Roman settlement and excavations have unearthed beautiful mosaics, streets, villas, baths and best of all – latrines. The Roman loos were a big hit with the boys and inspired Callum to make a working lego model replica (thankfully with model poo only).

 The replica Roman barque was filled to the brim with amphora of wine, olive oil and fish sauce. Much like our boat today– just missing the essential baked beans.

Cast off after lunch in sunshine and enjoyed a peaceful trip downriver to Chavanay.

Dan's working lego model of an aqueduct leading to happy souls in the bath.

Lobelia loves Lyon too

Set off on our boat journey through Lyon and hoped that we would not meet any large vessels as we manoeuvred around bends and under countless bridges. Our prayers were answered and the trip was peaceful. 

A rain soaked view of the Saone meeting the Rhone

Stopped off to buy fuel and break the piggy bank and then said farewell to the River Saone and bonjour to the mighty River Rhone and the much deeper much scarier locks.

The River Rhone flows from north to south and links central France to the Mediterranean. It is a river which commands respect and can turn violent rather quickly. But it is a river which promises us an adventure filled with treasures.

(For those interested in finer details of river traffic and who want to know how we are doing, check out : www.cnr.inforhone.fr and look at the navigation section and traffic at locks.)

Lazy in Lyon

Took the day off today and travelled into Lyon by train.

Lyon has a vibrant and rather beautiful city centre which is marked by the grand meeting of both the River Saone and River Rhone.

Spent the morning walking in the fabulous Tete D’Or park and visiting the zoo there. Meandered along the banks of the River Rhone and criss-crossed the city via pleasant pedestrian bridges. Sauntered through the cobbled streets and across the River Saone to the old quarter where we took the funicular railway to the top of the hill.

Over 2000 years ago the Romans built the city of Lugdunum on the slopes at the top of that hill and the remains of two enormous amphitheatres are still there and in use today. One of them was hosting a music festival and we stopped to listen to the band rehearse. However the boys were keen to stage a sword fight and so we retreated to the other amphitheatre and cheered them as they battled whilst  bemused tourists wandered through.

Passenger boats are bullies!

Notching up the kilometres as we head downstream at a steady 10km/hour, but two young boys need to rack up a similar mileage as well. Stopped for lunch at Trevoux and moored up under the footbridge and within sight of a playpark. The boys raced off to explore whilst we tidied the ropes, marvelled at the size of passing ships and made lunch.

However, our plan to stay and explore was thwarted by the arrival of a passenger boat which had priority on that mooring and we had to make a hasty departure.

As we approached the city of Lyon the frequency of potential moorings increased and we chose a splendid spot at St Germain au Mont D’Or where the boys could play happily.

Egrets?

The River Saone is wide and peaceful and surrounded by gentle green countryside which is a haven for a wealth of wildlife.  We spotted many birds of prey, heron, egrets and the unusual bright flashes of bee-eater birds.

Reached Tournus and noticed subtle differences in our surroundings : pitched roofs with flat tiles had now become gently sloping roofs with the rounded Roman tiles of the south. Motored through Macon and glimpsed the vines on the distant hills.

Boat traffic is relatively quiet but absolutely enormous : gleaming polished cruise ships 110 metres long and 11 metres wide slide past us whilst similar sized cargo vessels thunder by.

Today's the day

Today’s the day. Breakfast. Life jacket practice. Motorbike loaded. Kids onboard. Engine started and then we waved farewell to our maritime neighbours through the haze we had created and once the worst of the resulting blue fog had lifted we set off down the River Saone.

It was good to be back on the river and moving again and the smiles on our faces said it all.

Everything was going well until we were manoeuvring into the lock at Seurre and lost the use of the bow thruster thanks to a cooling problem with the generator. However, Andy kept Lobelia under control and efficiently changed the impeller as soon as we were through the lock. 

Ready Steady Cast off

School play : Dan the wolf who complained
about an unfair storyline

The last few weeks have been jammed full with barbecues, dogs who steal sausages, fireworks (both from Callum the bereft sausage owner after realising the theft had taken place and also Bastille Day in Auxonne), school plays, sports days, driving, catching up with friends and family in the UK, shopping (baked beans), and endless more driving.
But we now have Andy back with us (tempted by the baked beans perhaps) and the barge is ready to head south tomorrow...

Dan the boule champion of the Old Lock

Farewell gentle frogs of the Old Lock